Lots of articles in mainstream press about this, which was also discussed in another thread.
Alpha collapse: London cab drivers race to reinsureThousands of London taxi and minicab drivers received a text message telling them their insurance had been cancelled.
Danish firm Alpha, which insured drivers through brands such as Cover My Cab and Protector, declared bankruptcy on Tuesday.
Up to 700 taxi drivers and 10,000 minicab drivers are affected, the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association said.
Queues were seen outside London's Protector offices on Wednesday.
Marci Moroney, a black cab driver who was in the queue, said he received a text saying he was no longer insured while he was working last night.
"I think this is one of the worst situations they have put us in... I had to stop work last night and now I've lost two days money," he said.
Another cab driver, Abdel Hamid, said he had been told he would not receive a refund, having paid more than £3,000 for a policy with the company over six months ago.
He said he had to wait in the queue to buy another policy "otherwise I can't work. My cab is parked outside my house."
General Secretary of the association Steve McNamara said: "We have notified all of our members about this change to ensure that no-one is unintentionally driving without insurance.
"We will be supporting any of our members that may have been affected."
Analysis by Tom Edwards, BBC London Transport CorrespondentWhen I asked one cab rep how serious this is, he replied: "Bad".
Although we don't know, some estimate this lack of insurance cover will affect thousands of taxi and minicab drivers.
What that means is they will not be able to work until they get more cover and this could affect livelihoods.
And it is unclear if those who had Alpha policies will get any money back.
There are already queues outside insurance broker offices who bought Alpha policies.
Experts say they have not seen problems with insurance for cabs and minicabs on this scale before.
Alpha operates in Denmark and is authorized to do business in all EU/EEA countries.
The company was placed into liquidation on 4 May and went bankrupt on 8 May.
The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority said those with a compulsory insurance policy must find a new insurance policy with another company "as fast as possible" to obtain their compulsory cover.
It is unclear whether drivers will be issued a refund for the remainder of their insurance period.
The British Insurance Brokers' Association said it was "a very serious situation" and had "immediately notified our member brokers" when it heard about the bankruptcy.
A spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers said all cab drivers should "double-check which firm is responsible for their policy so they can be confident they have the right cover in place".
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Focus seems to be on London, but this is from Leicester
Leicestershire taxi driver 'losing money by the hour' after being told he was not insured following Alpha Insurance bankruptcyhttps://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news ... ey-1550144'If the wheels aren’t turning, you’re losing money.'A Leicestershire taxi-driver found out late last night that he was uninsured to drive his cab after a firm providing him cover filed for bankruptcy.
The collapse of Alpha Insurance has led to cabbies nationwide having the brakes slammed on their livelihoods.
Specialist taxi cover providers Cover My Cab uses the firm for some policies and issued a statement to those using it for their cars.
One driver from the Leicestershire area, covering Hinckley, has been “losing money by the hour” due to the issue.
The man, who does not want to be named, has tried to call Cover My Cab around 400 times
](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
today to no avail.
He has had to ask a friend whose insurance is still fine to cover his school run shift today.
A statement from Cover My Cab said: “We regret to inform you that J&M Insurance Services (UK) Ltd trading as Cover My Cab/Protector were notified of the bankruptcy of Alpha Insurance A/S on the 8th May 2018.
"As a result, we have been advised by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK and the Danish Financial Services Authority to inform all policyholders that their insurance cover has been terminated and to seek alternative insurance coverage as soon as possible to ensure they are legally insured.”
Mike Ward, from the Leicestershire Public and Private Hire Association, said that those drivers affected should go get new insurance from a “big” and “reputable” company as soon as they can.
“You’ve got to get back on the road, if the wheels aren’t turning, you’re losing money.”
Mr Ward, who has been working as a taxi driver for 58 years
, said he had not been contacted by any drivers who had been affected in the Leicestershire area.
Writing on social media, one driver said they had been on the way to Gatwick airport for a pick-up when they found out there insurance was void, and had to cancel the trip.
Another said they were told the news via email at 1.30am.
Many have expressed their discontent at being able to contact Cover My Cab.
An update from Cover My Cab said: “Apologies to customers if you are trying to get through on the phones, please keep trying we are very busy but have added extra personnel and will be extending opening hours for the foreseeable future.”
It then directed people to its website for more details.
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